Alvarez & Marsal has hired four senior M&A experts – Jonathan Gibbons, Guillaume Martinez, Frederic Steiner and Donatien Chenu – from Deloitte in France. All four have been appointed a Managing Director in the firm’s newly-launched Transaction Advisory Group in Paris.

The addition of the four experienced M&A consultants is the latest move of Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) as part of its ambition to significantly grow its transaction advisory activities in Europe. A&M’s Transaction Advisory Group (TAG) support clients with a range of financial advisory services, including commercial, financial and vendor due diligence, valuation, IPO support and transaction execution.

The arm, which is headed by US-based Paul Aversano (a former EY partner and Arthur Andersen advisor), has over the past two years made major strides expanding its European presence. Last year, the firm added several senior transaction advisors to its offices in the UK (London), Germany (Frankfurt) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam), while in August, the firm pushed into the Nordic market with the opening of an office in Sweden. The Stockholm office, which is led by former KPMG Sweden CEO Helene Willberg, focuses mainly on transaction advisory services.

Similar to previous moves in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, the launch of TAG in France builds on a carve-out of an experienced team from a Big Four player. Jonathan Gibbons, Guillaume Martinez, Frederic Steiner and Donatien Chenu all joined A&M from Deloitte’s Financial Advisory Services (FAS) practice, between them bringing around 100 years of experience in (cross-border) transactions working with private equity and multinational corporations throughout Europe and the world. An analysis of LinkedIn backgrounds by Consultancy.eu shows that the majority of A&M’s Big Four M&A alumni in Europe hold a background at KPMG.“The launch of a transaction advisory presence in France supports the firm’s commitment to meet local market needs and global market M&A demands, and enables us to continue our European expansion,” said Paul Aversano, Managing Director and Global Practice Leader of A&M’s Global Transaction Advisory Group.

Tarek Hosni, the France country leader and Managing Director with A&M Paris, stated; “These additions will enable us to increase our scale and service for French private equity firms as well as France based multinationals. A leading protagonist of positive transformation in France, we now also intend to deliver in France our internationally recognised expertise in transaction advisory services. This marks the start of our future growth plans for A&M France.”

Four new Managing Directors

Jonathan Gibbons has over 22 years of experience, including more than 17 years of experience in transaction services. He has extensive experience with vendor, acquisition, and lender due diligence assignments and has worked on more than 150 successful transactions, both in France and throughout the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia. Gibbons specialises in working for private equity groups investing in large, mid, and small cap transactions.

Guillaume Martinez has over 22 years of experience in professional services, including more than 16 years in transaction services for both strategic and private equity clients. He has worked on over 200 buy-side, sell-side and financing engagements, focused on the aerospace & defense, hoteling & leisure, and TMT sectors.

Frederic Steiner has 20 years of experience in transaction services engagements and audit assignments. He has completed over 150 due diligence projects on transactions ranging from €1 million to €5 billion. Steiner works with both private equity clients and corporates, including large French corporations in the automotive, electrical equipment, technology, retail, and engineering services sectors.

Donatien Chenu has 16 years of experience in transaction services engagements and audit assignments, working for both corporate and private equity clients. He has worked on over 100 due diligence engagements and has executed over 20 vendor due diligence projects. 40 of those projects had an international component, with Chenu gaining experience across 15 countries including China, Germany, Turkey, several countries in Africa, Europe and the United States.

Looking ahead, Antonio ‘Tony’ Alvarez III, Managing Director and A&M’s European Practice lead, said that growing demand is lifting demand for the firm’s services on the continent. Commenting on why he believes Alvarez & Marsal stands out from its rivals, he said, “With A&M’s operational focus and market leading capabilities in private equity and corporate performance improvement, A&M is uniquely placed to provide a differentiated approach to due diligence.”